A casino is a facility in which gambling activities are made available to the public. Casinos are usually built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and other tourist attractions. Many casinos are known for hosting other forms of entertainment as well, such as concerts, comedy and sporting events. The word "Casino" is derived from the Italian word "Casa," meaning a house, a small country villa, a summerhouse or a pavilion. During the 19th century, the term "casino" evolved to mean a building built for pleasure, usually on the grounds of a larger Italian villa or palazzo (e.g., palace). Such buildings were used to host civic functions, including concerts, dancing, gambling and sports. The exact origin of gambling is unknown, except that it has been a popular form of entertainment throughout history. In 2300 BC, the Chinese provided the first official account of the activity, but historians believe that gambling in some form has been practiced in almost every society. There are many historical accounts of entertainment based on games of chance in Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Napoleonic France and Elizabethan England. The first known European gambling house was the Ridotto, established in Venice, Italy in 1638 to provide controlled gambling during the carnival season. It was closed in 1770 when the city government decided that gambling impoverished the local gentry. Europe’s and likely the world’s most famous casino is in Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco, at the foot of the Maritime Alps on the Mediterranean Sea, bordering the southeast of France. In American history, early gambling establishments were known as “saloons.” It was in the saloons that travelers could find people with whom to talk, drink, enjoy music and, often, gamble. During the early 20th Century in America, gambling became banned by state legislators and social reformers. In 1931, however, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada, and America's first legalized casinos were set up there in Las Vegas and Reno. In 1978, New Jersey allowed gambling in Atlantic City, which is now America's second largest gambling city.